The no-cost, open-source software, called Connect, was developed under the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT’s Federal Health Architecture initiative (Conn, Modern Healthcare, 4/8).

In February, the Social Security Administration became the first federal agency to use the software when it began sharing data with MedVirginia, a health information exchange. Several other federal agencies now are using Connect for health information exchange, including CDC, the Department of Defense and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Now, any public or private sector group can use Connect to access open versions of NHIN services, including:

• Patient identification;
• Document query and retrieval;
• Audit-log;
• A messaging platform; and
• An authorization framework.

In addition to the gateway, Connect includes an “enterprise service component” that offers default versions of enterprise systems required to support health information exchange, such as a Master Patient Index, a document registry engine and an audit log for patient data privacy controls.

Now, there is a true open source flash project. Called the SPOT (Strobist Project Opensource Trigger), it is a wireless trigger for off-camera flash, and by downloading the schematics and GPL-licensed` software, you can build it yourself for around $50.

As with any remote trigger system (except proprietary, built-in ones like Nikon’s Creative Lighting System) you’ll need two units — one for transmitting and one for receiving, but even $100 for a pair is cheaper than the pro alternative of Pocket Wizards. Specs are basic but, coupled with a manual flashgun, everything you’ll need for some hot weekend strobist action. Here’s what you get, cribbed from The Strobist himself, David Hobby:

• Synchs at up to 1/250th of a second

• Approximately 30-meter range

• Triggers through walls and windows

• 4 groups of adjustable flashes

• Remote power level adjustment for “old” flashes (e.g. SB-24)

• Cost of parts ~ €50

• Open source software

The Lemelson-MIT Program today named Dr. Joel Selanikio as the recipient of the 2009 $100,000 Lemelson-MIT Award for Sustainability in recognition of his accomplishments in public health and international development. Selanikio, co-founder of DataDyne and assistant professor of pediatrics at Georgetown University Hospital in Washington D.C., will accept the award and present his innovation to the public at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) during the Lemelson-MIT Program’s third-annual EurekaFest, a multi-day celebration of the inventive spirit, on June 24-27.

“Joel’s inventiveness and ability to leverage his unique, multi-discipline background is impressive,” states Theresa Bradley, team leader of the World Bank’s Development Marketplace, whose organization nominated Selanikio for the award. “He is a thought leader in the area of mobile health for developing countries and is dedicated to improving global public health by creating sustainable technologies that are scalable, affordable and practical.”

Improving Methods of Data Collection

“We are excited that we can finally, wholeheartedly, recommend a video platform to our clients,” said See3 CEO Michael Hoffman. “Many nonprofits need to move beyond free video sharing sites and introduce a professional solution to manage their video content. Kaltura is a terrific product and their quality and feature-set simply cannot be matched. That they are open source is a huge added benefit to our clients and the greater nonprofit community.”